Nervous stomach in children

Children can easily upset the stomach. Sometimes it can be stress-related, or because of the anxiety or it could be just the excitement that led to stomach problems (also known as the Irritable Bowel Syndrome, IBS).

Causes of nervous stomach in children might also vary, and be of psychological or physical cause. Usually, psychological factors are dominant and the indigestion, stomach flu or allergies to different food (as physical causes of the problem) just add more issues. Children can experience the stress as physical and complain about the pain and stomach problems every time they have to do something they are not comfortable doing it. It might be exams or situations with the friends in school, but the children need to learn to handle stressful situations.

Symptoms of Nervous Stomach

Nervous stomach is not just children problem, because it can affect everyone, regardless their age or gender. In kids, nervous stomach is not specified as the disease, but more like a group of symptoms. These symptoms can be different for every child, but the most common symptoms of IBS are: digestion problems, constipation, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and mucus in the stool.

Constipation

Having the problems with defecation is quite common for kids, but in some cases it might be accompanied by the pain and strain. Stomach pain could become a serious problem if this condition doesn’t get resolved for some time. Most likely cause of this problem is the lack of fibers in child’s diet. In some cases the cause can be the ignorance to bowel movements, frequent in younger children who don’t want to stop playing to go to the potty.

Diarrhea

Different infections may provoke diarrhea in children. The possible causes include: viruses, bacteria or parasites. Usually diarrhea last for a day or two and then stops with the proper dieting (BRAT diet plan for diarrhea). Diarrhea lasting for a long time may become a problem, since it can dehydrate the body. Dehydration is especially dangerous for elderly and kids, and may become a life threatening condition. Besides the proper food, severe cases of diarrhea may be controlled by medications.

Mucus in the Stool

Mucus is normally present in the stool, but in nervous stomach in children it might be found in excess amounts. Epithelial cells of the intestine are responsible for the production of mucus. It main role is to lubricate the passage of the stool through the large intestine. Junk and spicy food can provoke the inflammation of the intestine and cause excess mucus and sometimes blood in the stool. Other causes of mucus in the stool are bacterial infections and food allergies.